Robotic arm for moving a stent support, and stent support gripper assembly

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for weighing a stent includes a buffer for storing a stent support with a stent mounted thereon, a stent mounting and dismounting assembly that mounts and dismounts the stent from the stent support, a robotic arm for moving the stent support with the stent between the buffer and the stent mounting and dismounting assembly, and a scale assembly for weighing the stent. The stent mounting and dismounting assembly moves the stent into the scale assembly after the stent has been dismount from the stent support.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/764,013,filed Jun. 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,885,788, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for weighing a stent.

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as percutaneoustransluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), have become increasinglycommon. A PTCA procedure involves the insertion of a catheter into acoronary artery to position an angioplasty balloon at the site of astenotic lesion that is at least partially blocking the coronary artery.The balloon is then inflated to compress the stenosis and to widen thelumen in order to allow an efficient flow of blood through the coronaryartery.

Following PTCA and other stenotic treatment procedures, a significantnumber of patients experience restenosis or other vascular blockageproblems. These problems are prone to arise at the site of the formerstenosis.

In order to help avoid restenosis and other similar problems, a stentmay be implanted into the vessel at the site of the former stenosis witha stent delivery catheter. A stent is a tubular structure which isdelivered to the site of the former stenosis or lesion and compressedagainst vessel walls thereat, again with a balloon. The structure of thestent promotes maintenance of an open vessel lumen. The stent can beimplanted in conjunction with the angioplasty.

Stents can also be used to provide for local delivery of agents. Forexample, radiotherapy and drug delivery treatments applied to the siteof the former stenosis following angioplasty have been found to aid inthe healing process and to reduce significantly the risk of restenosisand other similar problems. Local delivery of agents is often preferredover systemic delivery of agents, particularly where high systemic dosesare necessary to achieve an effect at a particular site. High systemicdoses of agents can often create adverse effects. One proposed method oflocal delivery is to coat the surface of a stent with an agent.

A stent is typically coated with a primer layer and an agent layer. Theprimer layer is applied between the stent and the agent layer to improveadhesion of the agent layer to the stent. In some cases, the agent layermay be applied directly to the stent.

Spray coating is commonly used to apply a layer of coating to a stent. Aspray coating apparatus typically includes a spray nozzle and a pumpthat supplies a coating substance from a reservoir to the spray nozzle.The coating substance is ejected through the nozzle to create a plume ofcoating substance.

During coating operation the stent is supported by a stent support, andthe stent support and stent rotate about the axis of the stent support.The stent support is also configured to axially or linearly translatethe stent through the plume of coating substance. Alternatively, thenozzle can be translated along the axis of the stent as an alternativeto or in addition to axially translating the stent. The coatingsubstance is deposited on the stent as the stent is translated throughthe plume of the spray nozzle from one end to the other end of thestent. After the spraying operation is stopped, the amount of coatingsubstance on the stent is measured to determine whether it is within arequired range. If the amount of stent coating is outside of the range,the stent is considered defective and may be discarded.

The amount of stent coating is typically determined by comparing theweight of an uncoated and coated stent. Currently, the weighing of astent requires manual manipulation of the stent and stent support. Theoperator must remove the stent from the stent support and place thestent on a scale to measure stent weight. The operator may need to putthe stent support aside if she must manually operate the scale. After asuccessful measurement of stent weight, the operator picks up the stentsupport and mounts the stent on the stent support.

This manual procedure has several drawbacks. For example, manualmanipulation of the stent may damage the stent or stent coating. Foranother example, contamination of the stent may result from contact withoperator gloves or areas of the weighing station that are not cleanedregularly. Manual loading/unloading of the stent from the delicate scalemay damage the scale by overloading or bending the scale post. Thedamage may cause catastrophic failure of the scale or inaccuratereadings. Additionally, the manual procedure is time-consuming. Thedismounting of a stent from a stent support and the mounting of a stenton a stent support are delicate tasks, and the operator must be carefulto avoid damaging the stent or stent coating. Furthermore, if theoperator needs to put the stent support aside to manually operate thescale, she may pick up a wrong stent support and mount the stentthereon. This may have grave consequences because the stent supportusually has information identifying the type of stent mounted thereonand the drugs coated on the stent.

Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for efficientlyand automatically weighing a stent with minimum risk of damaging thestent or stent coating or mounting the stent on a wrong stent support.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a robotic arm for moving a stentsupport, and to a stent support gripper assembly.

In aspects of the present invention, a robotic arm for moving a stentsupport comprises a first member, a second member supporting the firstmember, a gripper configured to grip a first part of the stent support,and a holder configured to grip a second part of the stent support. Thefirst member is configured to move from a first position to a secondposition by rotating 180 degrees relative to the second member. Thegripper and holder are disposed on a first member, are configured tohold the stent support in a vertical position when the first member isin the first position, and are configured to hold the stent support in ahorizontal position when the first member is in the second position.

In aspects of the present invention, a stent support gripper assemblycomprises a rail, a first support element gripper for gripping a firstsupport element of a stent support, and a second support element gripperfor gripping a second support element of the stent support. The firstsupport element gripper is connected to the rail and configured to movealong the rail while gripping the first support element. The secondsupport element gripper is connected to the rail and configured to movealong the rail while gripping the second support element. The firstsupport element gripper and the second support element gripper, whileboth are connected to the rail, are configured to move toward each otheralong the rail and to move away from each other along the rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrically-shaped stent.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stent support.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing the conical portions of thefirst and second support elements of a stent support supporting the endsof a stent.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an apparatus for weighing a stentaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a buffer and a robotic arm of theapparatus shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stent mounting and dismountingassembly of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, wherein the stent mountingand dismounting assembly includes a stent support gripper assembly, astent gripper assembly, and first and second core element guides.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a first support element gripper of thestent support gripper assembly shown in FIG. 7, wherein a first supportelement is held in the first support element gripper.

FIG. 9 is another perspective view of the first support element grippershown in FIG. 8, wherein a first support element is not held in thefirst support element gripper.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second support element gripper of thestent support gripper assembly shown in FIG. 7, wherein a second supportelement is held in the second support element gripper.

FIG. 11 is a detailed perspective view of the stent gripper assembly andfirst and second core element guides shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a stent gripper of the stent gripperassembly shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the lower finger of the first coreelement guide shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the lower finger of the second coreelement guide shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a scale assembly of the apparatus shownin FIG. 5.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a stent nest of the scale assemblyshown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a mount of the apparatus shown in FIG.5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A stent used with the present invention may have any structural patternthat is compatible with a bodily lumen in which it is implanted.Typically, a stent is composed of a pattern or network ofcircumferential and longitudinally extending interconnecting structuralelements or struts. In general, the struts are arranged in patterns,which are designed to contact the lumen walls of a vessel and tomaintain vascular patency. A myriad of strut patterns are known in theart for achieving particular design goals. A few of the more importantdesign characteristics of stents are radial or hoop strength, expansionratio or coverage area, and longitudinal flexibility. Embodiments of thepresent invention are applicable to virtually any stent design and are,therefore, not limited to any particular stent design or pattern. Oneembodiment of a stent pattern may include cylindrical rings composed ofstruts. The cylindrical rings may be connected by connecting struts.

In some embodiments, a stent may be formed from a tube by laser cuttingthe pattern of struts in the tube. The stent may also be formed by lasercutting a metallic or polymeric sheet, rolling the pattern into theshape of the cylindrical stent, and providing a longitudinal weld toform the stent. Other methods of forming stents are well known andinclude chemically etching a metallic or polymeric sheet and rolling andthen welding it to form the stent.

FIG. 1 illustrates a stent 10 formed from a plurality of struts 12. Theplurality of struts 12 are radially expandable and interconnected byconnecting elements 14 that are disposed between adjacent struts 12,leaving lateral openings or gaps 16 between adjacent struts 12. Thestruts 12 and connecting elements 14 define a tubular stent body havingan outer, tissue-contacting surface and an inner surface.

The cross-section of the struts 12 in the stent 10 may be rectangular-or circular-shaped. The cross-section of struts is not limited to these,and therefore, other cross-sectional shapes are applicable withembodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the pattern shouldnot be limited to what has been illustrated as other stent patterns areeasily applicable with embodiments of the present invention.

A stent may be coated with any number of layers. For example, thecoating of a stent may comprise one or more of the following four typesof layers:

(a) an agent layer, which may comprise a polymer and an agent or,alternatively, a polymer free agent;

(b) an optional primer layer including one or more polymers, which layermay improve adhesion of subsequent layers on the implantable substrateor on a previously formed layer;

(c) an optional topcoat layer, which may serve as a way of controllingthe rate of release of an agent; and

(d) an optional biocompatible finishing layer, which may improve thebiocompatibility of the coating.

The agent layer may be applied directly to a stent as a pure agent.Alternatively, the agent can be combined with a biodegradable polymer asa matrix, wherein agent may or may not be bonded to the polymer. Theoptional primer layer may be applied between the implantable substrateand the agent layer to improve adhesion of the agent layer to theimplantable substrate and can optionally comprise an agent. A pure agentlayer can be sandwiched between layers comprising biodegradable polymer.The optional topcoat layer may serve as a membrane to control the rateof release of the bioactive agent and can optionally comprise agent. Thebiocompatible finishing layer may also be applied to increase thebiocompatibility of the coating by, for example, increasing acutehemocompatibility and can also comprise an agent.

The polymers in the agent layer and optional primer layer can bebiostable, bioabsorbable, biodegradable, or bioerodable. Biostablerefers to polymers that are not biodegradable. The terms biodegradable,bioabsorbable, and bioerodable are used interchangeably and refer topolymers that are capable of being completely degraded and/or erodedwhen exposed to bodily fluids such as blood and can be graduallyresorbed, absorbed, and/or eliminated by the body. The processes ofbreaking down and eventual absorption and elimination of the polymer canbe caused by, for example, hydrolysis, metabolic processes, bulk orsurface erosion, and the like.

The therapeutic agent can include any substance capable of exerting atherapeutic or prophylactic effect. Examples of therapeutic agentsinclude antiproliferative substances such as actinomycin D, orderivatives and analogs thereof (manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich 1001 WestSaint Paul Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis. 53233; or COSMEGEN available fromMerck). Synonyms of actinomycin D include dactinomycin, actinomycin IV,actinomycin I₁, actinomycin X₁, and actinomycin C₁. The bioactive agentcan also fall under the genus of antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory,antiplatelet, anticoagulant, antifibrin, antithrombin, antimitotic,antibiotic, antiallergic and antioxidant substances. Examples of suchantineoplastics and/or antimitotics include paclitaxel, (e.g., TAXOL® byBristol-Myers Squibb Co., Stamford, Conn.), docetaxel (e.g., Taxotere®,from Aventis S. A., Frankfurt, Germany), methotrexate, azathioprine,vincristine, vinblastine, fluorouracil, doxorubicin hydrochloride (e.g.,Adriamycin® from Pharmacia & Upjohn, Peapack N.J.), and mitomycin (e.g.,Mutamycin® from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Stamford, Conn.). Examples ofsuch antiplatelets, anticoagulants, antifibrin, and antithrombinsinclude aspirin, sodium heparin, low molecular weight heparins,heparinoids, hirudin, argatroban, forskolin, vapiprost, prostacyclin andprostacyclin analogues, dextran, D-phe-pro-arg-chloromethylketone(synthetic antithrombin), dipyridamole, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa plateletmembrane receptor antagonist antibody, recombinant hirudin, and thrombininhibitors such as Angiomax ä (Biogen, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.). Examplesof such cytostatic or antiproliferative agents include angiopeptin,angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors such as captopril (e.g.,Capoten® and Capozide® from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Stamford, Conn.),cilazapril or lisinopril (e.g., Prinivil® and Prinzide® from Merck &Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, N.J.), calcium channel blockers (such asnifedipine), colchicine, proteins, peptides, fibroblast growth factor(FGF) antagonists, fish oil (omega 3-fatty acid), histamine antagonists,lovastatin (an inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, a cholesterol loweringdrug, brand name Mevacor® from Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station,N.J.), monoclonal antibodies (such as those specific forPlatelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) receptors), nitroprusside,phosphodiesterase inhibitors, prostaglandin inhibitors, suramin,serotonin blockers, steroids, thioprotease inhibitors,triazolopyrimidine (a PDGF antagonist), and nitric oxide. An example ofan antiallergic agent is permirolast potassium. Other therapeuticsubstances or agents which may be appropriate agents include cisplatin,insulin sensitizers, receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, carboplatin,alpha-interferon, genetically engineered epithelial cells, steroidalanti-inflammatory agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents,antivirals, anticancer drugs, anticoagulant agents, free radicalscavengers, estradiol, antibiotics, nitric oxide donors, super oxidedismutases, super oxide dismutases mimics,4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (4-amino-TEMPO),tacrolimus, dexamethasone, ABT-578, clobetasol, cytostatic agents,prodrugs thereof, co-drugs thereof, and a combination thereof. Othertherapeutic substances or agents may include rapamycin and structuralderivatives or functional analogs thereof, such as40-O-(2-hydroxy)ethyl-rapamycin (everolimus),40-O-(3-hydroxy)propyl-rapamycin,40-O-[2-(2-hydroxy)ethoxy]ethyl-rapamycin, and 40-O-tetrazole-rapamycin.

Typically, the stent is mounted on a stent support during stent coatingoperation. Referring to FIG. 2, a stent support 20 may include a firstsupport element 22, a core element 24, and a second support element 26.The first support element of the stent support may be, for example, ashank. The second support element of the stent support may be, forexample, a collet. The first support element 22 may be connected to amotor (not shown) to provide rotational motion about the longitudinalaxis of the first support element 22 during coating.

The first support element 22 preferably includes a conical portion 28,tapering inwardly at an angle of, for example, about 15° to about 75°,more narrowly from about 30° to about 60°. In some cases, the angle canbe about 45°. In the illustrated embodiment, a first end of the coreelement 24 is permanently affixed to the conical portion 28 of the firstsupport element 22. Alternatively, the first support element may includea bore for receiving an end of the core element, and the end of the coreelement may be threaded to screw into the bore. The first supportelement 22 may also include a circumferential groove 30.

The second support element 26 also includes a conical portion 32 havingan inwardly tapered angle which can be the same as or different from thetapered angle of the first support element's conical portion 28. Thesecond support element 26 has a through bore. A second end (free end) ofthe core element 24 can extends into the through bore of the secondsupport element 26 and can be press-fitted or friction-fitted within thebore to prevent the second support element 26 from freely moving on thecore element 24. The second support element 26 may also include acircumferential groove 34.

The stent support 20 supports the stent 24 via the conical portions 28,30 of the first and second support elements 22, 26. FIG. 3 shows thatthe conical portion 28 of the first support element 22 supports one endof the stent 24, and FIG. 4 shows that the conical portion 32 of thesecond support element 26 supports the other end of the stent 24. InFIGS. 3 and 4 and in subsequent Figures, only the struts in the endrings of the stent are shown, and the struts in the rest of the stentare not shown. As the conical portions 28, 30 of the first and secondsupport elements 22, 26 are advanced towards each other, theyautomatically cause the stent 24 to become centered about the coreelement 24, and they also secure the stent 24 in the longitudinaldirection of the stent support 20. The only contact between the stent 24and the stent support 20 is at the interface between the conicalportions 28, 30 and the inner rims at the ends of the stent 24.

One aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus for weighinga stent. FIG. 5 illustrates an example 40 of such an apparatus. Theapparatus 40 includes a buffer 42, a robotic arm 44, a stent mountingand dismounting assembly 46, and scale assemblies 48 each of which has ascale 50.

The buffer 42 is used to store stent supports 20 with stents 10 mountedthereon before and after the stents 10 have been weighed on the scales50. The robotic arm 44 moves a stent support 20 from the buffer 42 tothe stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46. The stent mounting anddismounting assembly 46 removes the stent 10 from the stent support 20and places the stent 10 on a scale 50 to be weighed. After the stent 10has been weighed, the stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46 removesthe stent 10 from the scale 50 and mounts the stent 10 on the stentsupport 20. The robotic arm 44 moves the stent 10 and stent support 20from the stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46 to the buffer 42.

The buffer 42 may be used to store stents 20 that are at various stagesof the coating process. The weighing of a stent 10 may take place beforethe stent 10 is coated and after any one of various processes involvedthe coating of the stent, such as polymer coating, agent coating,drying, etc. These processes are not synchronized with the weighing ofthe stents. In some situations, several stents 20 to be weighed may bereceived in a short period of time at the weighing apparatus 40, whilein other situations no stents may be received for a relatively longperiod of time at the weighing apparatus 40. If a buffer is notprovided, a stent may have to be held at a coating station (or any otherstage of the coating process) before it is weighed. As a result, thecoating station lies idle until a scale 50 is available to weigh thestent. Alternatively, the scale 50 may lie idle when no stents are sentto the scale 50 to be weighed.

A buffer of the present invention may have any suitable configurationand structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the buffer 42 may have acircular plate 52 and one or more receptacles 54 for receiving stentsupports 20 that are arranged in a circle along the edge of the circularplate 52. Each receptacle 54 may hold the first support element 22 of astent support 20, thereby placing the stent support 20 in a verticalposition as shown in FIG. 6. The buffer 42 may include an electric orhydraulic motor (not shown) to rotate the buffer plate 52 and acontroller (not shown) that can control the rotation of the buffer plate52 to align a particular stent support 20 with the robotic arm 44 forpickup.

Alternatively, a buffer of the present invention may be similar to aconveyor belt and may include receptacles spaced at a fixed or variableinterval on the convey belt. The movement of the conveyor belt may becontrolled to align a particular stent support 20 with the robotic arm44 for pickup.

A receptacle 54 of the buffer 42 may be designated to receive stents 10that are at a particular stage of the coating process. As shown in FIG.6, a receptacle 54 may be used to hold a stent that is clean (i.e.,before it is coated) and needs to be weighed. Another receptacle 54 maybe used to hold a stent that is clean and has been weighed. A furtherreceptacle 54 may be used to hold a stent that has been baked (i.e.,coated and dried in an oven) and has not be weighed. A still furtherreceptacle 54 may be used to hold a stent that has been baked (i.e.,coated and dried in an oven) and has been weighed.

The robotic arm 44 may be used to perform various functions. Preferably,the robotic arm 44 is able to grip and hold a stent support 20, to pickup a stent support 20 from and to place it in a receptacle 54 of thebuffer 42, to pick up a stent support 20 from and to place it on thestent mounting and dismounting assembly 46, and/or to move a stentsupport 20 between the buffer 42 and the stent mounting and dismountingassembly 46.

The robotic arm 44 may have any suitable structural features that can beused to grip and hold a stent support 20. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 6, for example, the robotic arm 44 has a stent support griper 56for gripping the first support element 22 of the stent support 20, and aholder 58 for holding the free end of the core element 24 of the stentsupport 20 to keep the stent support 20 straight. The stent supportgriper 56 may have two fingers 60 a, 60 b that can move away from eachother to allow the first support element 22 to be placed between thefingers 60 a, 60 b and can move towards each other to grip the firstsupport element 22. The core element holder 58 may have a groove 62 atits tip for receiving and holding the core element 24 of the stentsupport 20.

The robotic arm 44 may be moveable between two positions. The firstposition of the robotic arm 44 is shown in FIG. 6 where the robotic arm44 is positioned next to the buffer 42 and can hold the stent support 20in a vertical position. At the second position the robotic arm 44 ispositioned next to the stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46 andholds the stent support 20 in a horizontal position. When the roboticarm 44 moves from the first position to the second position, it moves astent support 20 from the buffer 42 to the stent mounting anddismounting assembly 46. When the robotic arm 44 moves from the secondposition to the first position, it moves a stent support 20 from thestent mounting and dismounting assembly 46 to the buffer 42.

To enable the robotic arm's movement between its first and secondpositions, the robotic arm 44 has first and second members 64, 66, eachof which has a generally triangular configuration when viewed as shownin FIG. 6. The interface 68 between the two members 64, 66 is at a 45°from either the vertical or horizontal position. The first member 64 canrotate relative to the second member 66 at the interface 68. In otherwords, the first member 64 can rotate about an axis that isperpendicular to the interface 68. When the first member 64 is rotated180° from the first position shown in FIG. 6, the stent support 20 ismoved from the vertical position at the buffer 42 to a horizontalposition just above the stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46. Whenthe first member 64 is rotated back to the first position as shown inFIG. 6, the stent support 20 is moved from the horizontal position backto the vertical position shown in FIG. 6.

Additionally, the entire robotic arm 44 may move vertically between afirst, lower position and a second, higher position shown in FIG. 6.

To move a stent support 20 from the buffer 42 to the stent mounting anddismounting assembly 46, the robotic arm 44 is first placed in its firstposition next to the buffer 42 and at the lower vertical position. Therobotic arm 44 then grips the stent support 20 with its stent supportgriper 56 gripping the first support element 22 of the stent support 20and the core element holder 58 holding the core element 24 of the stentsupport 20. At this point, the stent support 20 is still placed in areceptacle 54 of the buffer 42. Then the robotic arm 44 is raised to thehigher vertical position, as shown in FIG. 6, to lift the stent support20 out of the receptacle 54. The first member 64 of the robotic arm 44is then rotated 180° relative to the second member 66 to move the stentsupport 20 from the vertical position shown in FIG. 6 to a horizontalposition just above the stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46. Nextthe robotic arm 44 is lowered from its higher vertical position to itslower vertical position to place the stent support 20 on the stentmounting and dismounting assembly 46.

The stent mounting and dismounting assembly 46 is used to mount a stent10 on a stent support 20 or dismount a stent 10 from a stent support 20.To that end, the assembly 46 may be equipped with a stent supportgripper assembly 70 and a stent gripper assembly 72. The stent supportgripper assembly 70 is used to hold a stent support 20 when a stent 10is being mounted on or dismounted from the stent support 20. The stentgripper assembly 72 is used to holder the stent 10 when the stent 10 isbeing mounted on or dismounted from a stent support 20.

As shown in FIG. 7, the stent support gripper assembly 70 may include aplatform 74 that is moveable in a longitudinal direction 76 along alongitudinal rail 78. The stent support gripper assembly 70 may furtherinclude a first support element gripper 80 and a second support elementgripper 82. The first and second support element grippers 80, 82 aremounted on the platform 74 and are moveable independently of each otherin the longitudinal direction 76 along a longitudinal platform rail 84on the platform 74. In other words, the first and second support elementgrippers 80, 82 can move in the longitudinal direction 76 as part of theplatform 74, or they can move in the longitudinal direction 76 relativeto the platform 74. Alternatively, the stent support gripper assembly 70may not include the platform 74. Instead the first and second supportelement grippers 80, 82 may be mounted directly on the rail 78 forlongitudinal movement.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first support element gripper 80 is used to gripand hold the first support element 22 of the stent support 20. The firstsupport element gripper 80 may include two fingers 86 that extendupwards and can move in the lateral direction 88. The two fingers 86 canmove away from each other so that the first support element 22 can beplaced between the two fingers 86. And the two fingers 86 can movetowards each other to grip the first support element 22. The two fingers86 may grip the first support element 22 at its groove 30. In otherwords, when the two fingers 86 grip the first support element 22, theyare placed within the groove 30 of the first support element 22.Preferably, the longitudinal dimension of the fingers 86 issubstantially the same or slightly less than the width of the groove 30so that the fingers 86, when placed in the groove 30, may limit thelongitudinal movement of the first support element 22. Additionally,each of the fingers 86 may include a groove (or cut) 90 for receivingthe first support element 22 (or the groove 30 of the first supportelement 22). The grooves 90 of the fingers 86 help ensure that the firstsupport element 22 is securely held between the fingers 86. One or bothof the grooves 90 may have a substantially semi-circular configuration,and the radius of the semi-circle may be substantially the same orslightly larger than the diameter of the first support element 22 (orthe diameter of the groove 30 of the first support element 22).Alternatively, one or both of the grooves 90 may have a substantiallytriangular configuration. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, one of thegrooves 90 has a triangular configuration (see FIG. 9) while the othergroove 90 has a rectangular configuration.

As shown in FIG. 10, the second support element gripper 82 is used togrip and hold the second support element 26 of the stent support 20. Thesecond support element gripper 82 may also include two fingers 92 thatextend upwards and can move in the lateral direction 88. The two fingers92 can move away from each other so that the second support element 26can be placed between the two fingers 92. And the two fingers 92 canmove towards each other to grip the second support element 26.Preferably, the two fingers 92 grip the second support element 26 at itsgroove 34. Preferably, the longitudinal dimension of the fingers 92 issubstantially the same or slightly less than the width of the groove 34so that the fingers 92, when placed in the groove 34, may limit thelongitudinal movement of the second support element 26. Additionally,each of the fingers 92 may include a groove 94 for receiving the secondsupport element 26 (or the groove 34 of the first support element 26).The grooves 94 of the fingers 92 help ensure that the second supportelement 26 is securely held between the fingers 92. One or both of thegrooves 94 may have a substantially semi-circular configuration, and theradius of the semi-circle may be substantially the same or slightlylarger than the diameter of the second support element 26 (or thediameter of the groove 34 of the second support element 26).Alternatively, one or both of the grooves 94 may have a substantiallytriangular configuration. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, one of thegrooves 94 has a triangular configuration while the other groove 94 hasa rectangular configuration.

Preferably, the second support element gripper 82 includes also a coreelement holder 96 for holding the free end of the core element 24 of thestent support 20. The core element holder 96 has a groove 98 forreceiving and holding the free end of the core element 24.

During the dismounting of a stent 10 from a stent support 20, the stentgripper assembly 72 grips and holds the stent 10, and the first andsecond support element grippers 80, 82 grip and hold the first andsecond support elements 22, 26 of the stent support 20, respectively. Atthis point, the first and second support element grippers 80, 82 maymove away from each other in the longitudinal direction 76 along theplatform rail 84. This movement removes the second support element 26 ofthe stent support 20 from the core element 24 of the stent support 20.The movement of the first support element gripper 80 also extracts thecore element 24 of the stent support 20 from the hollow center of thestent 10. As a result, the stent 10 is removed from the stent support20.

During the mounting of a stent 10 on a stent support 20, the stentgripper assembly 72 places the stent 10 in a position where the stent 10is substantially coaxial with the first and second support elements 22,26 and core element 24 of the stent support 20 and where the stent isbetween the first and second support elements 22, 26. The first andsecond support element grippers 80, 82 move the first and second supportelements 22, 26 of the stent support 20 towards each other in thelongitudinal direction 76. This movement threads the core element 24 ofthe stent support 20 through the hollow center of the stent 10. Themovement also mounts the second support element 26 on the core element24 of the stent support 20. As a result, the stent 10 is mounted on thestent support 20.

As shown in FIG. 11, the stent gripper assembly 72 preferably includes aplatform 100 that is moveable in a longitudinal direction 76 along alongitudinal rail 102. This longitudinal rail 102 is arranged side byside and in parallel with the longitudinal rail 78 on which the stentsupport gripper assembly 70 is moveably placed.

The stent gripper assembly 72 may include a stent gripper 104 that ismounted on and moveable with the platform 100 of the stent gripperassembly 72. Alternatively, the stent gripper assembly 72 may notinclude the platform 100. Instead the stent gripper 104 may be directlymounted on the rail 102 for longitudinal movement.

The stent gripper 104 may also be moveable in the lateral direction 88and may have at least three lateral positions. The first lateralposition (i.e., a middle position) is described above where the stentgripper 104 grips and holds the stent 10 when the stent 10 is beingmounted on or dismounted from the stent support 20. At this position, asdescribed above, the stent 10 is substantially coaxial with the firstand second support elements 22, 26 and core element 24 of the stentsupport 20. The second lateral position of the stent gripper 104 is aretracted position, as shown in FIG. 11, where the stent gripper 104 isretracted from the first lateral position. The stent gripper 104 movesto the retracted position after the stent gripper 104 releases the stent10 subsequent to a successful mounting of the stent 10 on the stentsupport 20. A retracted stent gripper 104 allows the robotic arm 44 tomove the stent 10 from the second support element gripper 82 to thebuffer 42. The third lateral position of the stent gripper 104 is anextended position where the stent gripper 104 extends into one of thescale assemblies 48 to place the stent 10 on or to remove the stent 10from the scale 50.

As shown in FIG. 12, the stent gripper 104 may have three pairs offingers 106 a, 106 b, although the stent gripper may have any suitablenumber of finger pairs, including one, two or four pairs. In thisembodiment, the three upper fingers 106 a are integrally formed, and thethree lower fingers 106 b are also integrally formed. The fingers 106 a,106 b of each pair can move away from each other to allow the stent 10to be placed between the fingers 106 a, 106 b and can move towards eachother to grip the stent 10 between the fingers 106 a, 106 b. Each pairof fingers 106 a, 106 b may also include grooves that are similar to orthe same as the grooves 90 described above.

As shown in FIG. 12, the stent gripper 104 may also include a stripperblock 108. The stripper block 108 may be used to hold the stent straightand keep it from moving during extraction and insertion of the coreelement 24.

As shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus 40 may also include first and secondcore element guides 110, 112 that are mounted on the stent gripperassembly 72, although the apparatus 40 may generally include any numberof core element guides that are placed at any suitable locations. Aswill be described in detail below, each core element guide 110, 112 isused to guide and straighten the flexible core element 24 of the stentsupport 20 so that the core element 24 can be threaded through the stent10 and the second support element 26 of the stent support 20 duringstent mounting.

Preferably, each core element guide 110, 112 includes a bore 114, 116for guiding the core element 24. The free end of the core element 24enters from a first opening of the bore 114, 116 and exits the secondopening of the bore 114, 116. The bore 114, 116 preferable has a largefirst opening to capture the free end of the core element 24 and a smallsecond opening to guide and center the core element 24. As shown in FIG.13, for example, the bore 114 of the first core element guide 110 has acylindrical portion 118 and a conical portion 120 connected to thecylindrical portion 118. The conical portion 120 has a base 122 and anapex 124, wherein the base 74 defines the first opening 126 of the bore114. The cylindrical portion 118 of the bore 114 defines the secondopening 128 of the bore 114. During operation, as the free end of thecore element 24 moves towards the first core element guide 110, the freeend of the core element 24 is captured by the first opening 126 of thebore 114. As the movement of the core element 24 continues, the conicalportion 120 guides the free end of the core element 24 into the smallcylindrical portion 118 of the bore 114.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 14, the bore 116 of the second core elementguide 112 may also have a cylindrical portion 130 and a conical portion132 connected with the cylindrical portion 130.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first core element guide 110 includes a pair offingers 110 a, 110 b, such as an upper finger 110 a and a lower finger110 b, which are moveable between an open position where the fingers 110a, 110 b are apart and a closed position where the fingers 110 a, 110 bare next to each other. The two fingers 110 a, 110 b, when closed,define the bore 114 of the first core element guide 110. Preferably, theinterface between the fingers 110 a, 110 b divides the bore 114 into anupper half and a lower half. Similarly, the second core element guide112 may also include a pair of fingers 112 a, 112 b that are moveablebetween an open position and a closed position. The two fingers 112 a,112 b, when closed, preferably define the bore 116 of the second coreelement guide 112. The interface between the fingers 112 a, 112 bpreferably divides the bore 116 into an upper half and a lower half.

Each core element guide 110, 112 is moveable between two positions. Thefirst position of each core element guide 110, 112 is the same as thefirst position (the middle position) of the stent gripper 104. When eachcore element guide 110, 112 is at its first position, its bore 114, 116is substantially axially aligned with the stent 10 and with the firstand second support elements 22, 26 of the stent support 20 to performits function of guiding the core element 24 of the stent support 20. Thesecond position of the each core element guide 110, 112 is a refractedposition which is similar to the retracted position of the stent gripper104.

The core element guides 110, 112 may be used in any suitable mannerduring stent mounting. For example, after the stent gripper 104 movesthe stent 10 to the first position for stent mounting, the first andsecond core element guides 110, 112 may also move into their firstpositions to guide the core element 24 of the stent support. At thispoint, the stent 10 and the bores 114, 116 of the core element guides110, 112 are substantially coaxially arranged. The first support elementgripper 80 may then move the first support element 22 and core element24 towards the stent 10 and the second support element 26. This movementcauses the core element 24 to be threaded in sequence through the bore114 of the first core element guide 110, the stent 10, the bore 116 ofthe second core element guide 112, and the second support element 26. Asthe first support element gripper 80 moves the first support element 22and core element 24 towards the second support element 26, the secondsupport element gripper 82 may also move the second support element 26toward the first support element 22 and core element 24. After the stent10 and second support element 26 have been mounted on the core element24, the fingers 110 a, 110 b, 112 a, 112 b of each core element guide110, 112 are opened to disengage the core element guides 110, 112 fromthe core element 24 of the stent support 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus 40 may include two scale assemblies 48for weighing a stent 10, although it may include any number of scaleassemblies, such as one, three, or four scale assemblies. In theillustrated embodiment, the scale assemblies 48 and the stent gripperassembly 72 are placed on the opposite sides of the stent supportgripper assembly 70, although they can be placed on the same side. Toplace a stent 10 in one of the scale assemblies 48, the stent gripperassembly 72 and the stent support gripper assembly 70 can be positionedlongitudinally so that they are aligned with this scale assembly 48.

As shown in FIG. 15, each scale assembly 48 includes a housing 134, ascale 50 disposed in the housing 134, and a stent nest 136 resting onthe scale 50. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 134 preferablyhas a door (not shown) that opens to allow the stent gripper 104 toplace a stent 10 on the scale 50 or to remove a stent 10 from the scale50. The door can be closed to isolate the scale 50 from the effects ofair disturbance and noise. Air disturbance and noise may affect theaccuracy of the scale 50 due to the scale's sensitivity.

The scale 50 may be any scale suitable for measuring stent weight, suchas a scale that is commercially available. For example, the scale 50 maybe a microbalance, such as the UMX5 Microbalance from Mettler-Toledo,Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. The maximum capacity of the UMX5 Microbalanceincluding a weighing pan is 2.1 g. The weight of a coated stent thatthis scale can measure may be approximately 0.4 g.

As shown in FIG. 16, the stent nest 136 has a horizontal member 138 anda plurality of vertical members 140 that extend upwards from thehorizontal member 138. The horizontal member 138 of the stent nest 136rests on the scale 50, and the stent 10 rests on top of the verticalmembers 140. The top surface 142 of each vertical member 140 may includea notch 144, in which the stent 10 may rest. In order for the stentgripper 104 to place a stent 10 into the notches 144 of the verticalmembers 140, each of its lower fingers 106 b may need to extend into thespace 146 between two adjacent vertical members 140 of the stent nest136. Therefore, the space 146 between two adjacent vertical members 140preferably is sufficiently wide and sufficiently high to accommodate alower finger 106 b of the stent gripper 104.

After the stent 10 has been placed on the stent nest 136, the scale 50begins to measure stent weight. The weight signal measured by the scale50 generally includes a constant stent weight and disturbances that varywith time. Because the stent weight is small, the disturbances maysometimes constitute a significant portion of the measured signal. Tominimize the effects of disturbances, the scale 50 does not measurestent weight until the disturbances (oscillations) in the measuredsignal is below a certain value for a given period of time.

Preferably, the stent nest 136 is not attached or joined to the scale50. Instead, the stent nest 136 merely rests on top of the scale 50under the gravity of the stent nest 136. This may be desirable becauseif the stent gripper 104 collides with the stent nest 136, it would notdamage the scale 50; it would just knock the stent nest 136 off thescale 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus 40 for weighing a stent may furtherinclude a plurality of mounts 148 that reduce the amount of groundvibration transmitted to the scales 50. The inventors discovered that asubstantial portion of disturbances experienced by the scales 50 istransmitted to the scales 50 from the ground and that the groundvibration generally has predictable frequency content. The inventorsfurther discovered that the amount of ground vibration transmitted tothe scales 50 can be significantly reduced by carefully selecting theelasticity and damping characteristics of the mount material inconsideration of the mass of the apparatus 40. Preferably, groundvibration is first measured and its frequency content is determined.Then the system natural frequency, which is mostly a function of themass of the apparatus 40 and the elasticity of the mounts 148, isselected so that the system natural frequency is less than most of thefrequency components of ground vibration. The system natural frequencymay be less than 60% of the frequency components of ground vibration,preferably less than 80%, more preferably less than 90%, most preferablyless than 95%. Such a system natural frequency can significantly reducethe amount of ground vibration transmitted to the scales 50. The systemdamping ratio, which is a function of the mass of the apparatus 40 andthe elasticity and damping characteristics of the mounts 148, ispreferably about 0.1 to 2.0, more preferably about 0.4 to 1.2, mostpreferably about 0.6 to 1.0.

The above-described stent-weighing apparatus 40 can be operated inseveral ways. According to one way of operating the stent-weighingapparatus 40, the first step is to use the robotic arm 44 to move astent 10 to be weighed from the buffer 42 to the stent support gripperassembly 70. The robotic arm 44 is placed in its first position next tothe buffer 42 to pick up the stent 10 to be weighed. At this point, therobotic arm 44 is at the lower vertical position. The robotic arm 44grips the stent support 20 on which the stent 10 is mounted, with thestent support griper 56 of the robotic arm 44 gripping the first supportelement 22 of the stent support 20 and the core element holder 58holding the core element 24 of the stent support 20. At this point, thestent support 20 is still in a receptacle 54 of the buffer 42. Then therobotic arm 44 is raised to its higher vertical position, as shown inFIG. 6, to lift the stent support 20 out of the receptacle 54. Next thefirst member 64 of the robotic arm 44 is rotated 180° relative to thesecond member 66 to move the stent support 20 from the vertical positionas shown in FIG. 6 to a horizontal position just above the stent supportgripper assembly 70.

In the next step, the stent support gripper assembly 70 receives thestent support 20 from the robotic arm 44 and removes the stent 10 fromthe stent support 20. To receive the stent support 20 from the roboticarm 44, the first and second support element grippers 80, 82 of thestent support gripper assembly 70 are positioned below the first andsecond support elements 22, 26 of the stent support 20, respectively.And the fingers 86, 92 of the first and second support element grippers80, 82 are positioned apart to receive the first and second supportelements 22, 26 of the stent support 20, respectively. The robotic arm44 is then lowered from its higher vertical position to its lowervertical position to place the first and second support elements 22, 26of the stent support 20 between the fingers 86, 92 of the first andsecond support element grippers 80, 82, respectively. At this point, thefingers 86 of the first support element gripper 80 are preferablyaligned with the groove 30 of the first support element 22, and thefingers 92 of the second support element gripper 82 are aligned with thegroove 34 of the second support element 26. Next the fingers 86 of thefirst support element gripper 80 move towards each other to grip thefirst support element 22 at its groove 30, and the fingers 92 of thesecond support element gripper 82 also move towards each other to gripthe second support element 26 at its groove 34. The stent supportgripper assembly 70 then moves longitudinally to align the stent 10 withthe stent gripper 104 of the stent gripper assembly 72 so that the stentgripper 104 can grip the stent 10 for dismounting.

At this time, the stent gripper 104 of the stent gripper assembly 72preferably is aligned with the scale 50 that is to be used to weigh thestent 10. Once the stent 10 is aligned with the stent gripper 104, thestent gripper 104 moves from its second position (the refractedposition) to its first position (the middle position) with its fingers106 a, 106 b open to grip the stent 10. After reaching its firstposition, the stent gripper 104 closes its fingers 106 a, 106 b to gripthe stent 10. Then the first and second support element grippers 80, 82of the stent support gripper assembly 70 move away from each other inthe longitudinal direction 76. This movement removes the second supportelement 26 of the stent support 20 from the core element 24 of the stentsupport 20. The movement also extracts the core element 24 of the stentsupport 20 from the hollow center of the stent 10. As a result, thestent 10 is removed from the stent support 20.

At this point, the stent gripper 104 may extend further to its thirdposition to place the stent 10 on the scale 50. Alternatively, the stentgripper 104 may move back to the retracted position. And the stentsupport gripper assembly 70 may mount the second support element 26 ofthe stent support 20 on the core element 24 of the stent support 20, andmove the stent support 20 to one side of the stent gripper 104 beforethe stent gripper 104 extends from the retracted position to its thirdposition to place the stent 10 on the scale 50. Mounting the secondsupport element 26 on the core element 24 may require that the first andsecond core element guides 110, 112 move into their first positions toguide the core element 24 before the first and second support elementgrippers 80, 82 move the first and second support elements 22, 26 of thestent support 20 towards each other to mount the second support element26 on the core element 24.

To place the stent 10 on the stent nest 136 on top of the scale 50, thestent gripper 104 extends its lower fingers 106 b into the respectivespaces 146 between two adjacent vertical members 140 of the stent nest136 to place the stent 10 into the notches 144 of the vertical members140. The upper and lower fingers 106 a, 106 b of the stent gripper 104then move apart to release the stent 10.

After the stent 10 has been placed on the stent nest 136, the door ofthe scale assembly's housing 134 is closed, and the scale 50 begins tomeasure stent weight. The signal measured by the scale 50 generallyincludes a constant stent weight and disturbances that vary with time.Because the stent weight is small, the disturbances may sometimesconstitute a significant portion of the measured signal. To minimize theeffects of disturbances, the scale 50 does not measure stent weightuntil the disturbances (oscillations) in the measured signal is below acertain value for a given period of time.

After a reading of the stent weight has been obtained, the stent 10 isremoved from the scale 50 and is again mounted on the stent support 20.The procedure for mounting the stent 10 on the stent support 20 may varydepending on whether, as described previously, the second supportelement 26 has been mounted on the core element 24 and moved to one sideof the stent gripper 104. If this is the case, the stent gripper 104 maymove the stent 10 from the scale 50 to the retracted position so thatthe stent support gripper assembly 70 can remove the second supportelement 26 from the core element 24 and place the second support element26 and the core element 24 on different sides of the stent gripper 104.Then the stent gripper 104 can move the stent 10 from the retractedposition to the middle position so that the stent 10 can be mounted onthe stent support 20. If this is not the case (i.e., the second supportelement 26 and the core element 24 are already on different sides of thestent gripper 104), the stent gripper 104 may move the stent 10 from thescale 50 directly to the middle position so that the stent 10 can bemounted on the stent support 20.

After the stent gripper 104 has moved the stent 10 to the first (middle)position, the first and second core element guides 110, 112 also moveinto their first positions to guide the core element 24 of the stentsupport so that the core element 24 can be threaded through the stent 10and the second support element 26. At this point, the stent 10 and thebores 114, 116 of the core element guides 110, 112 are substantiallycoaxially arranged. The first support element gripper 80 may then movethe first support element 22 and core element 24 towards the stent 10and the second support element 26. This movement causes the core element24 to be threaded in sequence through the bore 114 of the first coreelement guide 110, the stent 10, the bore 116 of the second core elementguide 112, and the second support element 26. As the first supportelement gripper 80 moves the first support element 22 towards the secondsupport element 26, the second support element gripper 82 may also movethe second support element 26 toward the first support element 22. Afterthe stent 10 and second support element 26 have been mounted on the coreelement 24, the fingers 110 a, 110 b, 112 a, 112 b of the core elementguides 110, 112 are opened to disengage the core element guides 110, 112from the core element 24 of the stent support 20.

After the stent 10 has been mounted on the stent support 20, the roboticarm 44 may move the stent support 20 from the stent support gripperassembly 70 to the buffer 42. To this end, the robotic arm 44 is placedin its position to pick up the stent support 20 from the stent supportgripper assembly 70. The stent support gripper assembly 70 preferablymoves the stent support 20 in a position where the first support element22 of the stent support 20 is aligned with the stent support griper 56of the robotic arm 44 and the core element 24 of the stent support 20 isaligned the core element holder 58 of the robotic arm 44. Next thefingers 86 of the first support element gripper 80 move away from eachother to release the first support element 22, and the fingers 92 of thesecond support element gripper 82 also move away from each other torelease the second support element 26. Then the robotic arm 44 islowered to grip the stent support 20, with the stent support griper 56of the robotic arm 44 gripping the first support element 22 of the stentsupport 20 and the core element holder 58 holding the core element 24 ofthe stent support 20. Next the robotic arm 44 is raised to lift thestent support 20 from the stent support gripper assembly 70. The firstmember 64 of the robotic arm 44 is rotated 180° relative to the secondmember 66 to move the stent support 20 from this horizontal position tothe vertical position as shown in FIG. 6. Then the robotic arm 44 islowered to place the stent support 20 in a receptacle 54 of the buffer42.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications can be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are toencompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of this invention.

1. A robotic arm for moving a stent support, comprising: a first member;a second member supporting the first member, the first member configuredto move from a first position to a second position by rotating 180degrees relative to the second member; a gripper configured to grip afirst part of the stent support; and a holder configured to grip asecond part of the stent support, wherein the gripper and holder aredisposed on a first member, are configured to hold the stent support ina vertical position when the first member is in the first position, andare configured to hold the stent support in a horizontal position whenthe first member is in the second position.
 2. The robotic arm of claim1, wherein the gripper includes movable fingers configured to grip thefirst part of the stent support.
 3. The robotic arm of claim 2, whereinthe holder includes a groove configured to hold the second part of thestent support.
 4. The robotic arm of claim 1, wherein an interfacebetween the first member and the second member is oriented at 45° fromthe vertical position.
 5. The robotic arm of claim 1, wherein when thefirst member is in the first position relative to the second member, thegripper and the holder are configured to move vertically upward.
 6. Therobotic arm of claim 1, wherein when the first member is in the secondposition relative to the second member, the gripper and the holder areconfigured to move vertically downward.
 7. A stent support gripperassembly comprising: a rail; a first support element gripper forgripping a first support element of a stent support, the first supportelement gripper connected to the rail and configured to move along therail while gripping the first support element; and a second supportelement gripper for gripping a second support element of the stentsupport, the second support element gripper connected to the rail andconfigured to move along the rail while gripping the second supportelement, wherein the first support element gripper and the secondsupport element gripper, while both are connected to the rail, areconfigured to move toward each other along the rail and to move awayfrom each other along the rail.
 8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein thefirst support element gripper includes fingers configured to move towardeach other to grip the first support element of the stent support. 9.The assembly of claim 8, wherein the fingers of the first supportelement gripper are configured to move laterally toward each other. 10.The assembly of claim 7, wherein the second support element gripperincludes fingers configured to move toward each other to grip the secondsupport element of the stent support.
 11. The assembly of claim 10,wherein the second support element gripper includes a core elementholder for holding a core element of the stent support.
 12. The assemblyof claim 10, wherein the fingers of the second support element gripperare configured to move laterally toward each other.
 13. The assembly ofclaim 7, wherein the first support element gripper and the secondsupport element gripper are mounted on a platform and are moveableindependently of each other on the platform, and the platform is movablealong the rail.
 14. The assembly of claim 7, further comprising aplatform movable along the rail and in a longitudinal direction, whereinthe first support element gripper and the second support element gripperare configured to move in the longitudinal direction with the platform.